Sling



J. M. GARR@ 2,142,642

SLING Jan. 3, 1939.

. Filed Deo. 16, 1937 @sheets-sheet 2 J. M. GARRIS Jan. 3, 1939.

SLING 'Filedlnem 16, 1937 4 sheets-sheet s Patented' Jan, 3, 1939 Joseph M. Garris, Kenosha, Wis., assign'or to Macwhyte Company, Kenosha, Wis., a corporation oi.' Wisconsin Application December 16, 1937, Serial No. 180,169

11 Claims. (Cl. 96-25) This invention relates to a rope sling or similar article in which a rope is shaped upon itself by braiding or otherwise to produce a composite article which, in the particular form here shown.

is adapted for use as a sling. The invention of course is not limited to this use.

It has for one object to provide a sling and a. method of making it in which a. single piece of rope is so folded, twisted and braided that it is l formed into an eight-part sling.

Another object is to provide a sling and a method of making it in which a rope is rst made endless by splicing or otherwise and is thereafter folded and bent, twisted and braided to u produce an eight-part sling.

Other objects will appear from time to time in the course of the specication and claims.-

The invention is illustrated more or` less diagrammatically in the accompanying vdrawings,

20 wherein:

' Figure 1 shows in elevations. single rope;

Figure 2 illustrates on an enlarged scale the. rope after folding and Partial forming;

Figure 3 illustrates a further step in which 25 two twisted portions are made;

Figure 4 illustrates the rope after the formation of a third twisted portion; f

Figure 5 illustrates the rope after the completion of folding and twisting when actual braiding 30 is ready to commence;

Figure 6 illustrates the rope after it has been vr,put in position to commence braiding;

i Figure 7 illustrates the sling complete except for splicing; l

Figure 8 shows in elevations. rope after it has been made endless by splicing or otherwise;

Figure 9 is a similar view showing the rope folded or otherwise arranged for the commencement of twisting; 40 AFigure 10 illustrates the rope of Figure 9 after the' completion of twisting;

Figure 11 illustrates the completed sling after braiding has been carried out;

Figure 12 is an elevation on an enlarged scale 45 showing a portion of the sling of Figure 11 but showing only two units or four parts instead of the completed sling; and

Figure 13 'illustrates on an enlarged scale the 5|- rope and in which the freenends of the rope are not secured to each other until after the completion of folding, twisting and braiding; the second form is that shown in Figures 8 and following, in whichthe rope is made endless before folding, twisting and "braiding,

As shown in Figure 1, a rope A has been folded upon itself. In the proportion shown it is arranged to be twisted from the foldedor bent end to approximately the points i, 2. l'As shown in Figure 2 taken on an enlarged scale, the portion of the member from the fold to the point l has been twisted toproduce the/twisted section or member 3, and the portion 4 of Figure 1 has been folded back upon itself and is ready for twisting. As shown in Figure 3, the portion'4 has been twisted to form a second unit or member. It will be noticed that the twisting of the member 3 is opposite that of member 4.- 4 may be described as having a left laywhile 3 has a right lay, in so far as the twist is concerned.

As shown in Figure 4, the members 3 and 4 are unchanged and the longer portion or section 5 of the rope A has been folded upon itself and twisted to produce the member 6, while the member 'l has been folded but not yet twisted. As shown in Figure 5, the members 3, 4 and 6 are unchanged with respect to Figure 4, but the untwisted portion l is now shown as twisted. At this point in theformati'on lof the sling, there are two loose or free ends, the end 8 being Vthe free end of the member 4 and the member Q being the free end of the member 1. While these mightbe spliced together `at this time, ordinarily they will not be spliced until the'completion 'of the sling. It will be noticed that the direction of the twist or lay in adjacent members is opposite. Thus the member 3 has a right lay while the member l has a'left lay and the member 4 has a left lay while the member '6 has a right lay.

In manufacture it is convenient to place the incompleted sling over apin or projection lil as shown in Figure 6 and the parts are then braided,

opposite members being Abraided through so that members ofthe same lay are roped witheach other and thus the member 4 ropes with .the member 1 both beingleftlay members, andthe member 3 ropes with the member 6, both being right lay members. When the braiding is complete, -the sling assumes the form. shown in Figure 7 and the ends 8 and 9 may be spliced together. It is also convenient to fasten a wire or other. member II and I2 about the slings adjacent the eyes formed in the ends of the several members. Each member has an eye, and thus the member l has an eye I2, the member 4 an eye Il, the member B an eye i4, and the member 1 an eye I I. In the completed sling, the eyes Il, I3, I4 and Il are at one end, which is the lower end of Figure 7, and the center of the sling at: which the twisted portions forming the members join, having been Abeni: about the pin or tool Il, produce three additional eyes. The

fourth eye at that end is formed by the splicing-` or.joining of the loose ends 8 and 9 and there are thus four eyes at each end of the sling which are preferably brought together to form a single open eye in the completed sling, and the members II and Ila serve tohold the eyes in the proper proportion and to prevent unraveling or unbraiding of the sling parts of themselves.

In the modied form of Figures 8 to 13 inclusive, the braiding operation is much the same as that above described, but the sling unit is made endlessilrst. Thus a rope unit B is spliced or otherwise fastened together. It is then bent or folded-to produce members I6, I1, I8, and I9.f As in the. case of the other sling form, it is convenient to place the rope about a pin or tool I during this operation.

After the sung has been bent or fdldedm the form of Figure 9, the several members I6, I1, I8l and Il are twisted, but since the members are already endless, it is preferable to`twist each from its center, and this produces in each member a section which is of one lay and a section which is of the opposite lay, each section running approximately from the center of each unit toward its ends. Thus the member -I B from its center runs upwardly in a left lay and downwardly in a right lay. Correspondingly, the member I1 from its center 2| runs downwardly in a left lay and upwardly in a right lay. Thus the member I1 has a rightA lay portion opposite to a'left lay portion of the member I6, both above and below its center. The member Il is twisted from its center 22 to produce toward its bottom a left lay section and toward its top a right lay section, and the member I! is twisted from its center 23 and has a. lower, section of right lay and an upper sec- `tion of left lay.

With the sling in the conditionV shown in Figure Il, braiding may commence. Ihe upper portions. that is to say those lying closer to the pin Il arefirst braided and the braiding is carried outso that the pairs of units having the same lay in the upper section are roped together and thus the upper section of member I1, having a right lay, is roped withv the upper section of member Il, which also has, a right lay, while the upper section of member I I, having a-left lay, isroped with the upper section of member I9, having a left lay. lWhen the braiding has been carried out to the center portions 2l, 2 I, 22 and 23, a cross- 4over or reversal of direction must take place.

This is shown in the center area X of Figure 11' and in the center area X of Figure 13, the two gures being at 90 degrees with respect to each other. and thus in Figure 11 the cross-over is in a sense 'on its edge while in Figure 13 it is fiat, and it will be seen that the ropes of one member which cross to the right at the upper portion of Figures 11 and 13 have been reversed and cross to the left at the lower portion of Figures 11 and 13. When the braiding is completed, the eyes 2l, It, 21 and 2O of the members I6, I1. Il and il respectively, lie approximately together. The lower end of the sling may then besecured by wires or other members 29 which prevent unraveiing or unbralding and hold the eyes in propthe same except that in view of the fact that the.

sling of Figures 8 to 13 inclusive is made after the rope has been made endless, it is preferable to twist from the center of each member rather than from its end, and hence a cross-over or reversal of direction of braiding at approximately the center of each member where the. ropes of the several members reverse their direction is necessary to produce proper braiding and to make sure that each member ropes with the member of the corresponding lay.

Throughout the drawings the loops formed by twisting the members as shown, for example in Figures 2 to 5 inclusive, and in Figure 10, are open for purpose of clearness. Actually when the members are twisted, the loops are closed and the parts forming them are normally in contact with each other.

I claim: l.

1. The method of forming a .sling which comprises the following steps: folding a piece of rope upon itself to form four doubled units joined together at one end, twisting each unit, two to the right and two to the left, the units being joined to each other at one end, folding the units at the joined ends, and bringing a right and left lay unit on one side and a right and left lay unit on the other side of the fold, and braiding the four units together, roping the two left lay units together in the braid and roping the two rightV lay umts together in the braid.

2. The method of forming a sling which comprises the following steps: folding a piece of rope upon itself to form four doubled units joined together at one end, twisting each unit, two to the right and two to the left, the units being joined to each other at one end, folding the units at the joined ends, and bringing a right and left lay uniton one side and a right and left lay unit on the other side of the fold, and braiding the` four units together, roping the twoleft lay units together in the braid and roping the two right lay units together in the braid, and splicing together the free ends of the rope unit.

3. 'Ihe method of forming .a sling which comprises the following steps: folding a piece or rope upon itself to form four doubled umts joined together at one end, twisting each unit, two to the right and twol tothe left; the units being joined to each other at one end and forming eyesin their free ends, folding the units at the joined ends and forming eyes thereby, and bringing' a right andleft lay unit on one side anda right and left lay unit on the other side of the fold, and braiding the four units together, roping the two left lay units together in the braid and roping the two right lay units together in the braid.

4. 'I'he method of forming a sling which c ox'nprises the following steps: folding a` piece of I rope upon itselfv to form four doubled units joined together at oneend, twisting each unit,

' two to the right and ,two to the left, the units the joined ends and forming eyes thereby, and

bringing a right and left lay unit on one side in the braid, and subsequently securing the eyes initially formed at the free ends of the units in line, similarly securing the eyes formed at the fold and splicing together the free ends of the rope unit. y

5: The method of forming a sling which comprises the following steps: folding a piece of rope upon itself to form four doubled units joinedtogether at one end, twisting each unit, two to the right and two to the left, the units being joined to each other at one end and forming eyes in their free ends, folding the units at the joined ends and forming eyes thereby, and bringing a right and left lay unit on one side and a. right and left lay unit `ori the other side of the fold, and braiding the four units together, roping the two left lay units together in the braid and roping the two right lay units together in I the braid, and subsequently securing-the eyes bers, twisting two of said members to form right lay twists and two of said members to form left lay twists, braiding the said members together and in said braiding roping the right lay mem? bers with 'each other and the left lay membe with each other.

7. 'I'he method of forming a sling which comprises the following steps: folding a single piece of rope upon itself to form four doubled members, twisting two of said members to form` right A 8. The method of forming a sling which comprises the following steps: folding a single endless piece of rope upon itself to form four doubled members, twisting two of said members to form right lay twists and two of said members to form left lay twists, braiding the said members together and in said braiding roping the right lay members with each other and the left lay members with each other.

9. The method oi' forming a sling which comprises the following steps: making endless a piece of rope, folding the same upon itself to produce four double members, twisting two of said members to the right from a point intermediate their ends and two of the members to the left from a point intermediate their ends, and forming by said twisting in each member two sections of twists of opposite lay with respect to each other extending from approximately the center outwa'rd, braiding said members and in said braiding, roping together sections of the same lay.

10. The method of forming a sling which com-y prises the following steps: making 4endless apiece of rope, folding the same upon itself to produce four ,doubled members, 'twisting two of said members to the right from a point intermediate their ends and two of the members to the left from `a point intermediate their ends, and forming by said twisting in each member two sections of twists of opposite lay with respect to each other extending from approximately the center outward, braiding said members and in said braiding, roping together sections of the same lay and securing the ends of said: slin to prevent unbraiding.

1,1. A unitary, coreless sling formed of a single non-endless piece of rope comprising four doubled and twisted members, two of said members -being of right lay and two of said members being,

of left lay, *said members in the completed sling being braided together, the right lay members lying in the sling roped with each other and the left lay members lying in the sling roped with each other.. Y

JOSHH M. GARRIS. 

